Living History: Veterans to aid in war games

Five years ago

Excerpts from the June 12, 2010 Pioneer Journal

• City braces for emerald ash borer

The Wadena City Council approved a shade tree disease control and prevention ordinance revised in anticipation of the arrival of the emerald ash borer. The ordinance now includes ash and oak trees in addition to elm trees.

The new ordinance was taken from the city's old ordinance, a model ordinance from the League of Minnesota Cities and input from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, according to Planning and Zoning Director Byron Larson.

The ordinance states: "The city council determines that the health of elm, oak and ash trees within the city limits is threatened by fatal diseases known as Dutch elm, oak wilt and emerald ash borer diseases and other trees may be threatened by other diseases of shade trees. The city council further determines that the loss of elm, oak and other trees growing upon public and private property would substantially depreciate the value of property within the city and impair the safety, good order, general welfare and convenience of the public."

The ordinance provides for controlling the spread of diseases and removal of dead or diseased trees.

The ordinance will be published in the Pioneer Journal for a comment period.

35 years ago

Excerpts from the June 11, 1980 Pioneer Journal

• Wadena gets $9,000 EPA wastewater treatment grant

Senators Dave Durenberger and Rudy Boschwitz announced today the city of Wadena has received a $9,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The grant will finance the preparation of construction drawings and specifications for wastewater treatment works for Wadena.

• Visher ninth in state boys golf tournament

Kent Visher, son of Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Visher and a 1980 Wadena high school graduate, missed a tie for fifth place and a state medal in the state Class A golf tournament last week at Forest Hills Country Club by only one stroke.

Visher ended the rain-shortened state tourney with a 27-hole total of 118. This gave him sole possession of ninth place in the tourney.

Visher had advanced to the state meet as an individual participant after capturing medalist honors in the Class A region 6 golf tourney at one Balmoral course.

Forty-five individual golfers participated in the two-day tournament at Forest Lake.

75 years ago

Excerpts from the June 13, 1940 Pioneer Journal

• Veterans to aid in war games

Wadena County is going to get a taste of war this summer when the Seventh Corp area of the U.S. Army holds its maneuvers at Camp Ripley.

One of the features of the maneuvers will be "air raids" on military objectives and advancing troops. Throughout the entire district in which maneuvers are held, however, the American Legion is establishing an "aircraft warning service" at the request of the commandeering officer and this network of stations will be used to help frustrate "enemy" raids.

The civilians - one in each township and in most cases a World War I veteran - will keep a sharp eye to the sky and report appearance of planes by telephone to the "information center," probably at Little Falls.

A.L. Christenson has been named chairman of the "aircraft warning service" for this county and he will name the township men.

More than 40,000 soldiers will participate in the summer maneuvers at Little Falls where more than 100,000 acres have been leased for the war games.